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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. can — a tin
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bound — tied together
  5. can — a tin
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bound — certain
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bound — obliged
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com